But only say the word

Luke 7: 1-10
New Ark United Church of Christ, Newark, DE
May 29, 2016

            If you’ve ever been to a Catholic mass, you’ve probably heard or said these words: “I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed.” It is the response to the Agnus Dei or Lamb of God: Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world. Have mercy on us. Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.  Have mercy on us.  Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world.  Grant us peace.

            This response comes directly from the words of the centurion:  “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof…but only speak the word, and let my servant be healed.”

            There are actually two miracles in this story.  One is the healing of the centurion’s servant or slave.  Let’s unpack that event for just a moment.  In Roman culture most slaves were not valued as highly as this one.  If a slave was ill and close to death, the master would simply go out and buy a new one and allow the other servant to die.  A slave could be killed by their master for any reason, without consequences.  Words like ‘go’ or ‘come’ or ‘do this’ could lead to death as much anything else without a second thought.  This centurion is unusual.  He values human life, even that of a slave.

            This leads to the second and deeper miracle, the sharing of power between Jesus and the centurion.  The centurion, rather than seeking out a Roman deity for his request, sends some Jewish elders to ask Jesus to heal his servant.  It would be like Captain Picard asking Wesley Crusher to take command of the Enterprise.   It would be like Mao Tse Tung asking some Tibetan Buddhist monks to ask the Dalai Lama to come and heal the janitor who cleans his building.  It would be like the governor of Michigan asking a homeowner in Flint for a drink of water on the hottest day of the year.  

The Jewish elders confirm to Jesus that the centurion is worthy of his request, that he is a friend of these Jews, having built their synagogue for them.  Even so, the centurion understands the Jewish faith to the point that he knows that it would be a sin for Jesus to enter the home of a Gentile, let alone a Roman officer.  So he sends some of his friends to Jesus as he is on his way to the centurion’s home, to prevent this transgression.  He humbles himself in the way of a slave, sounding very much like the prodigal son to his father:  I am not worthy to be called your son.  Yet the centurion also recognizes the power and authority that Jesus has, to the point that they share an equal amount of power.  Only a word is required and the desired result will follow.

            But here’s the thing.  Jesus doesn’t say anything like “Go; let it be done just as you believe it would”, as he does in Matthew’s version of the story.  He doesn’t give the word.  Rather he tells the crowd of his amazement in having found such faith.  Indeed it is the centurion’s faith that heals his servant, but not because Jesus said it would be so but because the centurion said it would be so.  Both have power, both have authority, both of them give it away.

Episcopal priest and author Rev. Stephanie Spellers asks, “How can you be Christian, how can you wear a cross and not understand that it’s all about giving it away?”  She says that in this community we call Church we are healed enough so we can become healers.  We become centered enough so that we can be blown apart, because that’s what life and ministry can do, and know that we can come back to a center again.

Before the birth of the internet, but especially since its rise, power has been moving from centers of power to groups and individuals, across boundaries and borders, creating webs of relationships and interconnections.  We are now accustomed to relying on many sources of authority rather than only a few.  Power becomes powerful when we say the word and give it away, like forgiveness, love, wisdom, compassion, joy, knowledge, healing, acceptance.

•         Think of a time when you were in a position of power and authority.  Share an experience of when you gave that power away and what it felt like.
•         Most days do you feel like you have power or do you feel powerless or somewhere in between and why?